Video-mediated Communication Research Articles

Toward a transcription and analysis of live streaming on Twitch

Online live streaming is a new media genre that combines the broadcast of an activity with cross-modal video-mediated communication. Lacking an analytical entry point, descriptions and micro-level analysis of this type of interaction are rare. Using the case of online live streaming of video games, this paper asks two questions. First, how should a transcript look like in order to systematically account for the activity and the cross-modal communication between broadcaster and audience? Secondly, how does the unfolding of the activity influence the cross-modal discourse during online live streaming? In answering the first question, this paper develops a multi-column transcription scheme, which includes the broadcaster's spoken language & embodied conduct, the audience's written chat messages as well as an annotation of game events. It is argued that the basic principles of this format are applicable to other forms of live streaming and research questions. Afterwards, the transcript is used for exemplary analysis to address the second question. It will be demonstrated that broadcasters are more tightly regulated by the unfolding of the activity than the audience and that this leads to different cross-modal communicative practices. The numerous audience members write quick and brief single-turn messages, whereas the broadcasters are selective and produce fewer but more elaborate responses that span several utterances. Lastly, the paper introduces ‘pivoting’ and argues that it is a novel communicative behavior typical for online live streaming. Based on a second analysis, the paper will show that game events elicit pivoting utterances or messages from the broadcaster and audience, which attribute a highly contextual and locally negotiated meaning to the event.

The Impact of a Video-Mediated Communication on Separated Perinatal Couples in Japan.

Japanese communication relies heavily on nonverbal cues and context. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of video-mediated communication (VMC) on communication satisfaction and marital relationships in young couples separated during the perinatal period as they honor the Japanese tradition of Satogaeri Bunben. Couples were assigned to the VMC treatment group ( n = 14) or control group ( n = 13). A mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis was used. Longitudinal quantitative analysis from the Primary Communication Inventory and Intimate Bond Measure revealed significant differences between the Husband groups. Primary Communication Inventory and Intimate Bond Measure were strongly correlated regardless of group. Qualitative analysis of participant diaries revealed the addition of visual cues helped create a sense of "virtual co-presence," which was both positive and negative. In conclusion, VMC appears to improve communication in the separated Japanese perinatal couples, especially through the addition of visual cues provided with VMC.

Showing objects in Skype video-mediated conversations: From showing gestures to showing sequences

This paper focuses on sequences in which participants show one another a personal object in video-mediated communication. First, it brings some order into the diversity of showing practices by making a distinction between ‘gestural showings’ in which the display of an object is a gestural contribution to ongoing talk, and ‘showing sequences’, in which the visual display of the object becomes the focus of the interaction, with different ‘gestalt contextures’ of talk and embodied conduct. Second, regarding showing sequences, it introduces a further and important distinction, between ‘informative showings’ which enact a recipient without relevant knowledge regarding the showable, and ‘evocative showings’, which enact instead a knowledgeable recipient. Finally, this systematic understanding of the organization of showing practices is used to account for the recurrent production of showing sequences involving personal objects (which index familiar and intimate territories) in video-mediated interpersonal conversations, and to show how such sequences can constitute a powerful resource to perform ‘intimacy-at-a-distance’.

Distance Learning with Video Mediated Communication Systems and its Effects on a Follow-up Face-to-Face Meeting

Distance Learning with Video Mediated Communication Systems and its Effects on a Follow-up Face-to-Face Meeting

Blurring the boundaries between domestic and digital spheres

This study explores the phenomenon of multiactivity during recreational video-mediated communication (VMC) through the analysis of competing engagements. From a data corpus of naturally occurring interactions in public Google Hangouts, we focus on instances of competing engagements triggered by the co-presence of unratified participants in broadcasters’ physical environments. As users are immersed in their everyday spaces, interferences from their domestic sphere are common occurrences that break the participatory framework established in the digital sphere. Following a conversation analytic approach, we intend to show that these interferences lead to competing engagements that can be exploited rather than simply dealt with. Drawing on literature on multiactivity, we argue that participants at times organize and coordinate these multiple engagements to add playfulness and advance their interactions. In sum, this study aims to highlight how situated competing streams of action are coordinated and the purpose they may serve in recreational VMC.

Conditions of Use, Reliability, and Quality of Audio/Video-Mediated Communications During In-Home Rehabilitation Teletreatment for Postknee Arthroplasty.

Audio/video-mediated communication between patients and clinicians using videoconferencing over telecommunication networks is a key component of providing teletreatments in rehabilitation. The objectives of this study were to (1) document the conditions of use, performance, and reliability of videoconferencing-based communication in the context of in-home teletreatment (TELE) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and (2) assess from the perspective of the providers, the quality attributes of the technology used and its impact on clinical objectives. Descriptive embedded study in a randomized controlled trial using a sample of 97 post-TKA patients, who received a total of 1,431 TELE sessions. Technical support use, service delivery reliability, performance, and use of network connection were assessed using self-report data from a costing grid and automated logs captured from videoconferencing systems. Physical therapists assessed the quality and impact of video-mediated communications after each TELE session on seven attributes. Installation of a new Internet connection was required in 75% of the participants and average technician's time to install test and uninstall technology (including travel time) was 308.4 min. The reliability of service delivery was 96.5% of planned sessions with 21% of TELE session requiring a reconnection during the session. Remote technical support was solicited in 43% of the sessions (interventions were less than 3-min duration). Perceived technological impacts on video-mediated communications were minimal with quality of the overall technical environment evaluated as good or acceptable in 96% of the sessions and clinical objectives reached almost completely or completely in 99% of the sessions. In-home rehabilitation teletreatments can be delivered reliably but requires access to technical support for the initial setup and maintenance. Optimization of the processes of reliably connecting patients to the Internet, getting the telerehabilitation platform in the patient's home, installing, configuring, and testing will be needed to generalize this approach of service delivery.

Participation frameworks in multiparty video chats cross-modal exchanges in public Google Hangouts

Drawing on literature on interaction and participation in computer-mediated communication (CMC) and video-mediated communication (VMC), this study explores cross-modal exchanges with regards to participation in public video chats. By cross-modal, we wish to characterize interactions in which the production modality is different from the interlocutor's feedback modality, in the same communicative event and in synchronous fashion. Early research on recreational text-based CMC, especially Internet Relay Chat (IRC), has shown that initiating and maintaining interactions with strangers can be challenging. Our observations indicate that public video chats not only present these same challenges, but also that the availability of video and audio adds yet another level of complexity to issues of participation. Based on synchronous and naturally occurring interactions from public Google Hangouts, our analysis indicates that cross-modal exchanges are a means for participation mobility. Furthermore, this analysis brings attention to issues of visibility and noticeability in video chats.

Analogies in interaction: practical reasoning and participatory design

AbstractThe present study examines a set of discussions among professional counselors in the area of youth counseling, as they participate in the development and design of an online video-mediated communication platform. With an overarching interest in how participatory design is performed through conversations, the analysis focuses on analogical reasoning through which the envisaged system is anchored to existing technologies and work practices. Three forms of analogical reasoning are identified: formulating design alternatives; challenging problem formulations; and telling stories. In various ways, these forms of analogical reasoning inform the ongoing design decision-making process, where the hypothetical technology and its organizational and work-related implications are evaluated. The study contributes to how analogical reasoning is done in interaction, and places the findings in the context of participatory design and studies of design reasoning.

How anchoring and adjusting influence citizens’ acceptance of video-mediated crime reporting: A narrative approach

This study aims to deepen our understanding of specific processes influencing technology acceptance. To reach this goal, we developed a process model from 36 narrative interviews taken from citizens who had their first experience with crime reporting through video-mediated communication technology. Two major findings emerged. Firstly, we observed that the selective accessibility processes of anchoring and adjusting influence citizens’ acceptance of video-mediated crime reporting. Secondly, we found citizens to evaluate this technology primarily on its affective merits, that is, on its social presence. This latter finding complements the current reliance on cognitive predictors in the technology acceptance literature. The former finding complements the reliance on specific beliefs in current technology acceptance literature, because this study finds that actual acceptance of this virtual technology is influenced by citizens’ reliance on their generally held beliefs; their anchoring. The implications of these findings for the study of technology acceptance research are discussed, in particular for technologies mediating both human- and artificial social actors in related (public) service provision settings.

Toward Connected Shared Experiences

To move beyond the current "talking heads" paradigm and enable truly natural and immersive shared experiences, video-mediated communication systems must be able to understand the context of the shared activity as well as the social layer of interaction.

원격로봇학습과 원격화상학습에 대한 아동 반응 비교

To investigate how children interact differently when interactions are mediated with screen-based video communication versus a robot-mediated communication, we conducted a study with elementary students in Korea, comparing the use of both technologies to introduce classroom students with peer-aged individuals in America. Our findings show that the classroom children showed more positive emotion during certain tasks and exhibited more interest to remote participants in the context of robotmediated communication than with video-mediated communication. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.4.3 Communications Applications: Computer conferencing,teleconferencing, and videoconferencingGeneral TermsHuman Factors, Languages.

Using Presence, Spatial Formations and Sociometry to Measure Interaction Quality in Mobile Robotic Telepresence Systems

The use of video mediated communication technologies for interacting is increasing. An extension of these is mobile robotic telepresence (MRP) systems, video conferencing systems mounted on teleoperated mobile robots. The nature of the interaction via an MRP system is more complex than face-to-face interaction and involves not only social communication but also mobility. This research focuses on the use of MRP systems in domestic settings in elder care and contributes to the understanding of how interaction is affected by MRP system embodiment.

Remembering remotely: would video-mediation impair witnesses' memory reports?

Witnesses often experience lengthy delays prior to being interviewed, during which their memories inevitably decay. Video-communication technology – favored by intergovernmental organizations for playing larger roles in judicial processes – might circumvent some of the resourcing problems that can exacerbate such delays. However, whereas video-mediation might facilitate expeditious interviewing, it might also harm rapport-building, make witnesses uncomfortable, and thereby undermine the quality and detail of their reports. Participants viewed a crime film and were interviewed either one day later via video-link, one day later face-to-face, or 1–2 weeks later face-to-face. Video-mediation neither influenced the detail or the accuracy of participants' reports, nor their ratings of the quality of the interviews. However, participants who underwent video-mediated interviews after a short delay gave more accurate, detailed reports than participants who waited longer to be interviewed face-to-face. This study provides initial empirical evidence that video-mediated communication (VMC) could facilitate the expeditious conduct of high-quality investigative interviews.

Telehealth Group Interactions in the Hospice Setting: Assessing Technical Quality Across Platforms

This study aims to examine the technical quality of videoconferencing used in hospice to engage caregivers as "virtual" members of interdisciplinary team meetings and their impressions of telehealth. Furthermore, it aims to compare the quality of plain old telephone service (POTS) and Web-based videoconferencing and provide recommendations for assessing video quality for telehealth group interactions. Data were obtained from an ongoing randomized clinical trial exploring Web-based videoconferencing and a completed prospective study of POTS-based videoconferencing in hospice. For the assessment of the technical quality, an observation form was used. Exit interviews with caregivers assessed impressions with the use of telehealth. A retrospective analysis of video-recorded team meetings was conducted rating attributes essential for the quality of videoconferencing (e.g., video artifacts, sharpness). In total, 200 hospice team meetings were analyzed, including 114 video-recorded team meetings using Web-based videoconferencing and 86 meetings using POTS videophones. A direct comparison between the two modalities indicates the superiority of Web-based video in image quality but less so in audio quality. Transcripts of 19 caregiver interviews were analyzed. Caregivers found the use of videoconferencing to be a positive experience and a useful and essential tool to communicating with the hospice team. This study highlights the potential of telehealth to improve communication in hospice and the need for new tools that capture the quality of video-mediated communication among multiple stakeholders and strategies to improve the ongoing documentation of telehealth group sessions' technical quality.

Eye contact and video-mediated communication: A review

A relatively new form of human communication, video-conferencing has become more popular as video technology improves and with increasing demands for real-time communication across greater distances. The full effects of video-conferencing on human communication are still being explored. Video-conferencing is presumed to be a somewhat richer form of communication than email and telephone, but not quite as informative as face-to-face communication. This review explores research into the influence of eye contact on communication and how video-conferencing mediates both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Facilitation of eye contact is a challenge that must be addressed so that video-conferencing can approach the rich interactions of face-to-face communication.

Effects of gesture-based avatar-mediated communication on brainstorming and negotiation tasks among younger users

This paper reports on a study which investigated the effects of gesture-based avatar-mediated communication on younger users (12–13years old), in comparison to video-mediated communication. Specifically, we looked at how these technologies were used by school pupils to brainstorm and negotiate ideas in a bullying context. 64 school pupils were divided into two conditions (Skype and AvatarKinect) and were instructed to carry out two tasks (a brainstorming and a negotiation task). Objective task performance, perceived satisfaction and perceived partner’s characteristics were compared. We found no difference in term of perceived satisfaction. AvatarKinect users reported more positive changes in perceptions toward their partner. The results on task performance were ambivalent; Skype users seemed to generate more ideas, whilst AvatarKinect produced better quality ideas. In summary, gesture-based avatar technology appears to be a useful modality to help resolve bullying in schools.

Video-Mediated Communication to Support Distant Family Connectedness

It can be difficult to maintain family connections with geographically distant members. However, advances in computer-human interaction (CHI) systems, including video-mediated communication (VMC) are emerging. While VMC does not completely substitute for physical face-to-face communication, it appears to provide a sense of virtual copresence through the addition of visual and contextual cues to verbal communication between family members. The purpose of this study was to explore current patterns of VMC use, experiences, and family functioning among self-identified VMC users separated geographically from their families. A total of 341 participants (ages 18 to above 70) completed an online survey and Family APGAR. Ninty-six percent of the participants reported that VMC was the most common communication method used and 60% used VMC at least once/week. The most common reason cited for using VMC over other methods of communication was the addition of visual cues. A significant difference between the Family APGAR scores and the number of positive comments about VMC experience was also found. This exploratory study provides insight into the acceptance of VMC and its usefulness in maintaining connections with distant family members.

Understanding children’s behavior in an asynchronous video-mediated communication environment

Video-mediated communication (VMC) has become a feasible way to connect people in remote places for work and play. Nevertheless, little research has been done with regard to children and VMC. In this paper, we explore the behavior of a group of children, who exchanged video messages in an informal context. In particular, this paper presents the results of 11-week VMC study of 30 children from the USA and Greece, exploring children's behavior with the asynchronous video-based messaging tool we developed called VideoPal. In the study, children's interactions, perceptions, content exchanged and emotions were collected. The results from the analyses highlight that the emotion of happiness dominated in the communication. Moreover, the content included useful personal information and is connected with children's interactions (e.g., number of views and of recipients). In addition, children generally preferred VideoPal to email because they felt that it was easier and has more fun.

Improving video-mediated communication with orchestration

Video-mediated communication (VMC) has become a popular communication medium. However, research to date suggests that the inherent constraints of VMC impair effective and efficient communication and task performance. We propose that these negative findings could be attributed to how the technology was used and propose the novel concept of communication orchestration aimed at mitigating some of the signaled limitations. Orchestration is a selection process for displaying information that is deemed relevant for accomplishing an effective and efficient task performance and communicative experience. We report an experiment that confirmed this suggestion. The results indicate that orchestration could be an important novel feature to aid humans when communicating via VMC, but also suggest that there is potential for further improvements in orchestration.

DEVELOPING NATURAL AND INTUITIVE VIDEO-MEDIATED COLLABORATION — NIVMC SYSTEM

This article describes design challenges of a novel concept enabling natural and intuitive video-mediated collaboration. Typical video-mediated communication systems do not enable deictic gestures nor direct drawing with white board markers, thus limiting communication. We present our novel concept for Natural and Intuitive Video-mediated Collaboration (NIVMC). NIVMC was originally developed for design professionals to enable co-operative sketching, but it may also benefit other user groups.